The Nigerian government has heightened discussions with the Kingdom of Morocco to expedite the Final Investment Decision (FID) process for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline.
The discussions, which took place on Wednesday, were part of a meeting between the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, and the Moroccan Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Ms. Leila Benali. Facilitated by NNPC Ltd.’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, and the Director-General of the Morocco National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Mme Amina Benkhadra.
A statement released on Thursday by NNPC Ltd.’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, highlighted the talks’ focus on propelling the partnership between the two nations to expedite the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project. This aligns with the series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed between the two countries in Abuja in 2022.
The parties underscored the strategic importance of the project to both countries and the entire African continent, emphasising the need to complete it promptly to address energy poverty across Africa.
The Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2017, outlines a 48” x 5,300 km pipeline from Nigeria to Dhakia (Morocco) and a 1,700km extension from Dhakia to Northern Morocco, with a capacity of 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year (equivalent to 3.0 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day).
The pipeline is planned to traverse the Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and terminate in Morocco, with a spur extending to Spain.
Given the project’s international nature, the ECOWAS Commission is tasked with responsibilities such as facilitating inter-governmental treaties, hosting government agreements, establishing the Pipeline Higher Authority, and ensuring alignment with the AU, UN, and other relevant international bodies.
The project’s objectives include driving the monetisation of Nigeria’s gas resources, maintaining NNPC Ltd.’s energy leadership in Africa, and fostering economic and regional cooperation among African countries.